Metamorphosis
by ktwontwo
Summary: "Other duties as assigned" takes on a whole new meaning when James Bond returns from a mission and finds himself juggling his 00 status, preternatural politics and having to act as pack leader to a newly created werewolf. A Bondlock crossover using Patricia Briggs' style (Alpha & Omega/Mercy Thompson) werewolves. (Please note: NOT an A/B/O universe)
1. Homecoming

**Title:** Metamorphosis

**Parings:** James Bond & Q

**Warnings:** Canon typical violence

**Disclaimer: ** All characters, situations and concepts borrowed belong to their respective owners. If you recognize it its not mine. I claim no rights. I make no profit.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Homecoming<strong>

Despite the amount of times he spent on them, James Bond did not care for commercial airplanes. Even though he most often flew first class these days there was something about cramming a substantial number of humans into a small metal canister that set his hackles up. Intellectually he knew that it was most likely related to the overload of sensation that he was required to deal with whenever he set foot on a plane. The outside to recirculated air ratio, even at the normal fifty percent, meant that airplanes smelled like a crowd of people regardless of where in the plane he was seated. The engine noise was another irritation. Most jet engines had a high pitch overtone that was annoying at best and grating at worst. Especially annoying was when multiple engines happened to have just different enough overtones to create dissonance. Of course the food quality and quantity left a lot to be desired not to mention the fact that there was simply no way to get comfortable in an airline seat even if one wanted to do so. The things James had learned to put up with in the name of service to Queen and Country.

As he walked through the terminal James felt himself relaxing. Well relaxing as much as a 00 agent ever did in a public place. He never really dropped his vigilance until he was in his own flat, had double checked the security and was sipping some good scotch. Still, the smell and sights of Heathrow tended to relieve some of the tensions of 12 hours of travel. It was even better that mission had been a resounding success he was uninjured and wonder of wonders, all his equipment was intact. The boffins in Q branch would be ecstatic and Q himself would be flabbergasted. He strolled out past security only to have all the tension suddenly returned in a rush of adrenaline. Eve Moneypenny was standing in the foyer waiting for him. He looked at her carefully as he approached for clues. How was she going to want to play this?

"Bond," she greeted him as he strolled up. Her body language and tone of voice said co-worker. He could work with that.

"Moneypenny, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm truly sorry James," she replied, "but we have a situation at the office and himself wants you to apply your unique talents to the situation." She fell into step beside him.

So M wanted him back at HQ ASAP. It must be serious. "It couldn't have waited until after I've slept?"

"No, he was quite insistent," she replied.

Bond sighed. Anyone who had observed the exchange would hopefully conclude that James had an unreasonable boss who was yanking his chain by hauling him directly to the office after a business trip rather than letting him go home and sleep off the jet lag.

"Faster we get this over with, the faster I can get some sleep," he said for the benefit of any would be listeners as they reached the curb.

One of the MI6 armored behemoth sedans pulled up. He opened the door for Moneypenny and then slid into the car after her. The driver smoothly integrated the car into traffic and they were underway.

They rode a while in silence, James mulling over what Eve had said and not said. Mallory needed his _particular_ talents. Which ones he wondered. The ability to kill that gave him the 00 status? His prowess as an agent? No, neither of those would qualify as _unique_. No what was unique was that James Bond was a werewolf. In fact he was the only werewolf currently in the ranks of MI6. Therefore, something was up that had a preternatural component and couldn't be handled adequately with the tools and personnel currently available.

Once he had come to that conclusion James took a good look and more importantly a good sniff of Moneypenny. She was tired. He could see it in her bearing and smell it in her scent. She had also been upset recently. She was keeping a stiff upper lip currently and would continue to do so as long as necessary but he suspected that she'd fall apart for at least a little bit as soon as the immediate crisis had abated. She also seemed edgy as if she kept expecting very bad news at any moment.

Her dress was impeccable but she hadn't showered. Her hair style was simpler than he'd seen in a while and she was wearing minimal make-up. If he remembered correctly it was from the emergency stash she kept in her desk. Given those clues it was clear to him that whatever it was had happened early this morning. It had caused her to be roused from her bed with barely enough time to get dressed before coming into the office.

"So," he started to see if he could get some idea about the situation only to have her shake her head minutely at him. Obediently he changed course conversationally. "Did the package I retrieved prove useful?"

"Yes actually," she replied. "There's going to be quite a bit of work for everyone following that up."

"Happy to be of service," he smiled and then just because it was a standard thing between them added flirtatiously, "Of course there are things other than retrieving packages that I am useful for." He gave her one of his most seductive looks.

"Yes James, I'm sure at least half of MI6 is aware of just how useful you are," was her immediate response in her normal brush off to his overtures.

The driver stiffened slightly. He must be new. James could smell his uncertainty. He wasn't quite sure what to do with the overheard innuendo. It was obvious that he'd not been given the briefing on dealing with 00's yet.

Eve caught the driver's unease too. "Don't tease the new hires," she admonished him, "It inevitably results in excess paperwork."

"Heaven forbid that you would be subject to any more paperwork," he quipped back at her.

"Careful James, remember if you don't keep on my good side I'll make you do it!"

"You wouldn't."

"Don't tempt me," she replied with a half-smile.

The driver relaxed again realizing that the byplay was not what it had seemed. MI6 was not in the habit of hiring unintelligent people. He'd do just fine once he had a little bit of experience James thought. In addition, the low level flirtation had its intended effect of taking a bit off Moneypenny's edginess. The rest of the trip passed in silence.

They entered the MI6 building through one of the biometric secured doors from the carpark. James was a little surprised when Moneypenny did not head to M's office. Instead she escorted him to the small conference room just inside Medical. M was standing looking out the window and turned when they came in.

"007."

"Sir."

Gareth Mallory walked over and engaged the ECM protocols that made the room as private as possible. "Q was attacked early this morning as he attempted to enter his flat," M started without preamble.

James struggled to contain a growl. Wolves were pack animals and werewolves shared that trait. Even werewolves like him who had declared themselves independent from traditional pack structures by going _lone wolf_ tended to form close relationships that served the same function as a pack and kept them stable. For James MI6 as a whole served that purpose but the other 00's, Moneypenny, Tanner, Q and to some degree M himself were the people he counted as truly _his_. James was seriously dominant as a wolf. In a werewolf pack structure he would most likely be the Alpha, the top wolf, responsible for the protection of the others. The fact that someone had attacked and seriously injured one of _his_ people was intolerable.

"We lost Perkins his driver," M continued, seemingly ignoring James' rising ire. "We would have lost Q but for the fact that he happened to be on the phone with the graveyard crew in Q-branch when it happened. They managed to get a team and an ambulance there in less than 5 minutes."

"Do you want me to track down the culprits?" James asked his voice low and gravely.

"No 007." M's body language was neutral and his eyes were on the table. It was clear to Bond that he was being very careful not to antagonize James' wolf nature any more than the news itself was doing. "We have others working on that. No, if you would…, what I would like for you to…, is for you to guard Q and take whatever action you deem necessary to ensure the safety and security of MI6."

The tone of his voice, the phrasing, the uncertainty he could hear and smell; it suddenly all made sense to James. Q had been attacked by a werewolf. The only question was whether he'd been hurt badly enough so that his human immune system had been compromised to the extent that the lycanthropy could take root. If that had happened the retrovirus would either kill him or turn him into a werewolf. It was not a simple or easy process. A full 60% of males and 80% of females died before the accelerated healing factor kicked in. For those who survived long enough for the change to take root a significant percentage were driven mad by the experience. That didn't even mention those who completed the change but never gained control of the wolf part of themselves. Those people were the sources of the werewolf legends and needed to be removed sooner rather than later.

M was asking James to watch over Q and put him down if it became necessary. He didn't know if M really understood what he was asking. At least he was asking, not ordering, him to perform the duties and take on the responsibilities of a pack Alpha. This was the very thing that James had gone _lone wolf_ to avoid. With most anyone else James would be able to refuse but this was Q. One of the few people who knew what James was. The person who had designed weapons to account for his strength, tweaked gear to use with his acute senses, and developed a biochemical maskant to hid his scent from other wolves. No, he owed it to Q to help any way he could.

"Take me to him," James growled.

M nodded at Monneypenny and canceled the ECM countermeasures. She opened the door and set off down the hall without a word.

It was less than a minute and they were standing in one of the medical department's secure ICU rooms. Q was lying still on the bed looking even frailer and more waif-like than usual. It didn't help that he was covered in bandages and hooked up to a frightening array of machines. Given the extent of the damage James was a little surprised that Q wasn't on a respirator.

James felt like tearing at something. He wanted to eviscerate the bastard that had done this.

"I know James," Moneypenny said softly picking up on his mood. "We all feel that way."

He realized then that he'd been growling under his breath. That was not good. He needed the get a hold on himself if he'd be of any use to Q. James took a deep breath to get his emotions under control. Once he felt under control he stepped up next to the bed and bent down to get a good sniff of Q's scent. As he had suspected underneath the almost overpowering antiseptic and medication smells was a faint hint of wolf. Q was definitively infected. He stood up and stepped back from the bed to find not only Moneypenny but also Dr. Nielson watching him.

Dr. Erika Nielson was MI6's medical expert in all things preternatural and magical. She was barely 5 foot tall, long haired, brunette, in her late 40's, and looked as delicate as a porcelain doll. James knew first hand that her appearance was deceiving. She was muscled like a professional dancer, much stronger than she looked and could project an aura of confidence and authority which would intimidate most anyone. A black-belt in at least three martial arts disciplines she could hold her own in a sparring session with most of the agents. In fact, some of the trainers liked to use her to reinforce lessons on never underestimating an opponent. She was also the head of the team that dealt with his medical issues on the rare occasion that he needed such attention. Under the circumstances James was not at all surprised that she was the lead physician for Q's care.

"Well?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Damn." Dr. Nielson's face was grim. "Accelerated healing should kick in 12 to 14 hours after infection." She looked down at her watch then back at James. "We'll need to get down to minimal monitoring and take out anything extraneous within the next hour or so to be safe then." She turned to go, presumably to set things in motion but stopped and asked, "Will we need restraints?"

"No," James replied. "I'll handle it. I can restrain him without hurting him if necessary."

That earned him a surprised stare. He never knew quite how much Dr. Nielson knew about werewolf pack dynamics but it was clear she had some knowledge given the way she had treated him when he was injured. She seemed to know that he was dominant. It was also clear that she knew that the presence of a strong dominant could help a newly infected wolf survive through the initial physiological shift as well as through the psychological ramifications. She raised an eyebrow at him. Asking silently if he knew what he was letting himself in for.

He acknowledged her question with a short nod.

"I suggest sweats or scrubs then; this may get crazy," was her parting remark as she swept out of the room.

"Shall I…" Moneypenny started to ask.

"No," James cut her off. "Stay here till I get back then you can report to M." He put some force into the command and just assumed that she'd comply.

James headed for the gym and his locker at a trot. Sent was going to be an important factor in this. He'd used the maskant a day or so ago and it would still be partially effective. He needed to wash it off to allow his natural scent to reassert itself. He also had a clean set of sweats in his locker that would have picked up a good scent load from the other workout gear he stored there. There was something about the scent of a protective dominant wolf that calmed and reassured the very newly changed. It was a trick he'd seen used once and he intended to use every trick he knew to get Q through at least the initial stages with as minimal trauma as possible.

By the time he made it back to medical a shy 30 minutes later he found that the team had indeed been busy. There were fewer monitors and Q was down to one IV line. All of them could be disconnected easily. With James' reappearance Moneypenny took herself off. James pulled up a chair and settled down to wait.

It wasn't too long before Dr. Nielson came back into the room. She took a look at the remaining monitors and then fiddled a bit with the IV line. "Shouldn't be long now," she commented half to herself, "His temperature is starting to rise." She looked directly at him then, "The monitoring sensors will disconnect if you pull here." She indicated a tab. "Leave the IV in until the last possible moment. I'm running him on a high glucose solution which should hopefully give him some extra energy through the initial healing surge."

James nodded. He could hear the concern in her voice.

"Is there anything you need to deal with this from here on in?" she asked him.

"Could you have the safe room stocked and ready? Its only four days until the full moon and I'll want to move him down there as soon as he's stable enough." The full moon would trigger Q to change to wolf form regardless of how recent the lycanthropy infection. It wasn't going to be safe to keep Q in medical when that happened. MI6 had a suite of rooms in one of the sub-basements that was specifically designed to hold a werewolf. James planned to install himself and Q there until the danger was past.

She grimaced "Damn, I'd forgot to check the lunar calendar. I'll make sure it's done. Anything else?"

James hesitated. There were reasons that MI6 Quartermasters were always known by the code name Q. It allowed them and their true identity to be protected from threats both external and internal. Q had only been Q for a year and a half and he'd had the designation R for only 6 months before that. Would he respond to his code name while in severe pain? Probably not.

"Yes, could you also find me his real name?"

He started to explain his reasoning but Dr. Neilson cut him off, "Good idea. He may not respond to Q. It's Taliesan. Tal for short."

James blinked at that. Q had been saddled with the name of an ancient Welsh bard? "How do you…"

"He was assigned to me when he first came into MI6," Dr. Nielson stated. "I don't only take care of agents you know."

"Oh but none of the others are as exciting I'd wager," despite the situation James couldn't help teasing a bit.

"You'd think so but you'd be wrong. A lot of interesting injuries and medical issues come out of Q branch." She smiled sadly in Q's direction. Apparently Q had managed to get himself banged up enough to warrant her attention somewhat frequently. Dr. Neilson turned to go. "Page me if you need me." She was almost out of the room but paused at the door and looked back. "I know this isn't your usual type of mission but someone has to say it…good luck 007."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> As noted in the summary this is NOT an A/B/O story even though the terms "alpha" and "omega" will be tossed around upon occasion. If you haven't already read Patricia Briggs' excellent work run, do not walk, and procure yourself copies however you can...you won't be disappointed.

This will most likely be a slow updating story so please bear with it. Only lightly beta'd and not brit picked. As always kudos, reviews, comments and typo spotting are always welcome.


	2. Safe Room

**Title:** Metamorphosis

**Parings:** James Bond & Q

**Warnings:** Canon typical violence

**Disclaimer: ** All characters, situations and concepts borrowed belong to their respective owners. If you recognize it its not mine. I claim no rights. I make no profit.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Safe Room<strong>

Q regained consciousness with what felt like a killer hangover. He was dizzy, his stomach slightly nauseous and his muscles felt like he'd been beaten all over. Hydration and painkillers were clearly going to be one of the first things on his _to do_ list. It was at this point that he realized that he wasn't in his own bed. That triggered another completely different set of cogitations.

As he'd been taught by his brothers he rolled over feigning half-waking. He then calmed his heart rate, kept his breathing steady and went still again. Hopefully to any observer it would look like he had lapsed back into sleep. Sleep was definitely not what he was doing. _Use all your senses_, he could almost hear his oldest brother's voice instructing. _People ignore scent and you can deduce so much from it_ his middle brother had told him once. So what do I smell? Faint wisps of medical disinfectant had come from under the covers as he had turned over. He'd been in a medical setting or received medical treatment at some point then. An industrial cleaning solution meant a large building with janitorial service. Touch. Thread count on the sheets was relatively high. Freshly laundered and not overly used. Sound. A ventilation system blowing air. Ah, another scent. Gun oil combined with the body wash from the MI6 gym and something earthy, animal like, that he thought he should know but couldn't quite place. Sound again. A slight shift of a body in a chair.

It was the body wash smell that convinced him. As far as Q knew that formulation was unique which meant that whomever it was had access to the MI6 gym. He cracked open his eyes and looked through his eyelashes. What he saw was reassuring. James Bond, 007, was sitting in a wing back chair across from him. Bond was dressed for a workout. T-shirt and sweats but his feet were bare. There was a paperback sitting on his lap but it was closed. From its position Q deduced that he'd put it down a few minutes before.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Q," Bond said in his soft baritone.

It wasn't easy to fool a 00 agent. They were trained to observe and observe closely. Q thought that Bond had most likely known he was awake from the first moment he came to consciousness. He opened his eyes fully and realized two things simultaneously. One, he was nude under the covers and two, he needed to use the loo rather desperately. Grunting, Q levered himself to sitting in the bed. All his joints protested along with his head and stomach.

As if reading his mind Bond observed, "Loo's down the hall. I'll dig you out something that should fit."

He rose from his chair and proceeded to dig in a dresser that was sitting in one corner of the room. Q used the distraction to get up, stagger out of the room and down the hall to the loo.

30 minutes later Q, ablutions done and dressed in the sweats he'd found sitting outside the bathroom door, wandered into the area that served as a sitting room with an attached open kitchen where Bond was puttering around. As soon as he cleared the doorway Bond gestured to a seat at the table. When he complied an absolutely huge rare roast beef sandwich was placed in front of him followed by a mug of earl grey tea. He sat for a moment and just looked at the repast.

"Eat," Bond ordered.

His stomach, having recovered from the initial nausea in the shower, agreed with the order. Q ate.

Q normally wasn't one for large meals. If given a choice he was a grazer, 6 to 8 small meals in a day. It tended to suit his long hours and irregular work schedule better than gorging himself at any one setting. The size of the sandwich had given him pause but in short order he was looking at a bare plate and an empty mug. He looked at Bond then who was sitting across with a mug of tea and a similar empty plate.

"Thank you," he said.

"You are quite welcome," Bond replied.

"So, are you going to read me in?" Q asked.

Instead of starting to brief him Bond simply asked, "What do you remember?"

Q thought for a moment. What exactly did he remember? "I was in the car," he started. "Josh was driving and I was on my mobile with George. He'd been having issues with a server firmware upgrade. We stopped at the entrance to my flat. Josh opened the door, I got out and…" Q trailed off. He remembered getting slammed against the side of the car, then blood, then pain. "Josh didn't make it," It was more of a statement than a question.

"No," Bond was matter of fact.

"Pain, Medical, I was injured." His memories were very fragmented and confused. He'd been hot, cold, in pain. He'd thrashed around then been held in someone's arms until he fell asleep. Through it all Bond's voice had come and gone. He didn't remember the words just that he was being talked to and wasn't alone. There was also a scent involved; that earthy, animal like scent that he'd not quite identified earlier, Bond. "You were there."

"Yes."

"I assume my attacker is still at large and this is why we are in one of the ultra-secure safe-houses with you guarding me." The lack of windows and the decor had been a dead giveaway about the security of this particular set of rooms. "Where exactly are we by the way?"

Bond hesitated for a moment before replying, "The safe room in the HQ basement."

There was only one set of rooms Bond would refer to by that designation. The rooms that were specially designed and fortified to hold Bond when he had been injured on or near the full moon. Q put it all together then. He'd been attacked by a werewolf and survived. He was infected. That meant Bond was the only person who could deal with him right now. Shit. He mumbled a little litany from his Uni days about seriously FUBAR situations under his breath.

_Right then_, he thought to himself. _Put emotional responses aside for now and acquire the relevant data_.

"How long since the attack?" he asked.

"3 days."

A quick calculation. He realized that it should be a full moon tonight.

"What time is it?"

"About 1600"

"Moonrise is a bit after 1800 then."

Bond gave him a surprised look at that.

"You think that I wouldn't keep track of the lunar calendar and pertinent astronomical information like the time of moonrise when my best agent has a tendency to go furry because of it?" Q snapped.

"Q!" Bond's voice was a rumble almost growl.

Q didn't notice, "For Christ's sake Q branch keeps track of most of the female agents, including 004's, menstrual cycles. We track anything that could impact agent performance good or bad. Did you think we were amateurs or something?"

"Talliesen!" Bond's voice cracked like a whip.

The use of his birth name snapped Q out of his rant like a slap to the face. He didn't even know that Bond knew it. Why the heck had he snapped like that? It was overly emotional and completely unprofessional. What was wrong with him? He thought he'd had a decent handle on the emotions generated by suddenly having his life turned on end. Obviously not.

"Sorry."

"I forgive you, I know it's that time of the month," Bond deadpanned.

"Got it," Q grumbled back after a shocked pause. "Full moon affects emotional responses, check."

They stared at each other for a moment. Somehow Q could tell that Bond was quite concerned about him and willing to do most anything to help him get through. He could almost feel the man willing support to him.

"So what do I need to know immediately?" Q asked.

Bond sighed, "Shifting at the full moon is pretty much involuntary for the first few years. You are going to shift tonight. It's going to be painful and can take over three quarters of an hour the first time. The physical component is intense. Your entire internal physiology rearranges itself. I suggest you start out nude. Shifting makes your skin very sensitive and busting out of clothes is excruciating. The first few times are bad but it does get better as well as faster the more times you do it. It's a good thing it does get faster, it's the one time a werewolf is vulnerable to anything except silver so it's always a good idea to change in a safe place if you can.

Bond paused, presumably trying to figure out what words to use, then continued, "Physical changes aside it's the mental piece that's much more difficult. You are going to need to come to some sort of accommodation with your wolf. Most talk about it in terms of controlling the wolf."

Q considered Bond's careful wording, "But you don't."

"No, but I seem to be more integrated with my wolf part than most." Bond got a thoughtful look on his face. "I was a deep undercover agent before I was turned. You end up emphasizing and deemphasizing portions of your personality to play a particular role. There are a lot of similarities in the mind set."

Q thought about it a little then asked the obvious question. "What happens if someone doesn't get control of the wolf?"

"Where do you think all the legends about werewolves revenging the countryside came from?"

Q thought some more. Going feral and destroying everything and everyone around him was not really an option. There was only really one solution if that happened.

Q looked Bond straight in the face, "I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If I'm going to be a danger to MI6 or anyone else I want you to kill me."

Bond blinked as if a bit surprised by his request before promising "I will."

"Thank you."

Q was surprised at how much better that simple promise made him feel. He'd known from the day he'd been promoted that if he became compromised or captured that MI6 would have no option but to kill him. There was just too much classified information and the ability to hack into almost anything was just too dangerous to leave loose in enemy hands. In theory this was no different but somehow the threat of turning his co-workers and subordinates into chopped meat seemed to represent a bigger problem that needed a personal solution.

They sat in silence for a bit. Q was thinking about what he knew from modifying equipment for Bond. There would be enhanced hearing and smell in human form as well as increased strength and stamina. He'd have to work some modifications on his personal gear post haste.

Bond was apparently thinking along the same lines. "You know most of the general physical parameters for the human form from working with my gear. I suspect you'll need to make a few structural modifications to you work areas to account for the increased strength."

"Anything else?"

"Wolf form is different. Lots of sensory information that you won't be able to process correctly for a while. It can be overwhelming. You should have an instinctive response to most of it. Rely on that for the first few times out and you should be fine." Bond paused again then asked, "You don't swim do you?"

"Huh?" Q was confused.

"Body density," Bond explained. "You are now a lot more dense than you used to be. Swimming is possible but tiring. Scuba, however, is much easier."

"Are you telling me werewolves sink?"

"Yes. Most of them don't swim either for just that reason. That density also means you'll also need to consume a lot more calories to keep up with the metabolism. A good portion of it should be protein, the rarer the better."

Q looked at the clock on the wall. It was now 16:45. Bond glanced at it too. "Time to lock things down," he commented and went over to a phone on the wall by what appeared to be the front door.

Bond hit the speakerphone button and punched in a number. It didn't even ring before Monneypenny was on the line, "Yes James?"

"Let's lock things down. Don't unlock until at least 06:00 regardless."

"Noted." Moneypenny's voice was firm, "Locking down now." Q heard the distinct thunk of bolts from the door frame sliding into place in the door.

Q expected Moneypenny to hang up at that point but she continued, "How's Q doing?"

Bond looked at him, clearly expecting that he'd respond. "I'm doing as well as can be expected all things considered Eve," Q replied to her. "How's the branch holding up?"

"Quite well given that their _evil overlord_ is officially injured and out of commission. I expect the programmers at least to start trying to hack your medical records sometime in the next two or three days if you continue incommunicado. They are really worried about you," Moneypenny continued. "We all are." She paused again and her voice was slightly deeper than before, "Good luck Q," she said then added "Take care of him James or I'll need to do something drastic."

"Acknowledged Monneypenny," Bond replied, "I wouldn't want you to shoot me again would I?" He hung up then dialed another number and at the tone keyed in a code. Q heard a secondary set of bolts move into place. Double protection. One to protect MI6 from James and now him, another to protect them from MI6.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Q asked to avoid discussing the implications of two sets of bolts.

"I can either talk you through it or change first and show you. Your choice."

Q thought about it for a moment then said "Talk me through it please."

"I think one of the bedrooms would be a good place for this," Bond gestured. "You also should rest before it hits you. You used up a lot of your body's reserves in the last three days."

"How will I know when its time?

"You will get restless and your skin will feel crawly, start to itch or both."

"Wonderful," Q replied as he stood up and walked back toward the bedroom.

He paused in the doorway. Nude, Bond had said. OK, he could do that. Bed or floor? Sensitive skin might be better on something smooth rather than on cloth. Floor it was then. Q moved into the room and stripped down. He snagged the duvet off the bed, wrapped it around himself and sat on the floor. No sense in getting cold while waiting for the inevitable to happen. He took a deep breath and tried to put himself into the mindset he used when monitoring a mission that had gone into waiting mode. A relaxed, enforced calm almost meditative state that left him ready to react with whatever his agent needed at a moment's notice. When Bond entered a few minutes later he was able to look up at him with a measure of equanimity.

Of course that's when the itching started. It felt like the time he fell into the nettles when he was 8 and then it got worse. It wasn't so much the pain, which was as predicted intense, but the disconcerting rearranging that he could feel going on inside. Things stretching, shifting, odd crunching and cracking noises. Through it all there was a sense of something wild, untamed coming closer, ever closer.

Q ignored the pain, the bizarre physical sensations and concentrated on that feeling of wildness. It felt like something dangerous just waiting to be unleashed. It felt familiar like…Q suddenly had an idea. He consciously decided to accept it, welcome it as part of himself. It was no different than how he viewed and used his emotional state. His brothers had inadvertently taught him that. His eldest brother kept his emotional state under iron control. His middle brother had decided not to have any emotions at all. Neither strategy had worked especially well for them. No, Q had determined that emotions were the part of him that needed to be understood, used, contained on some occasions and released on others. This new wolf thing was no different. Q closed his eyes and concentrated. He knew it was going to take a lot of brain-work to integrate this into his existing mental structure.

Q didn't know how long after the change he'd lain on the floor dealing with the new wild part of himself but eventually awareness of the outside world slowly intruded. He could hear Bond speaking and felt a hand carding through the fur on the back of his neck and his head. The touch was soothing, comforting. He opened his eyes and looked up into Bond's concerned face.

"You know," Bond said conversationally still running his hand through the ruff on Q's neck, "You have the most ridiculously long messy fur that I've ever seen on a wolf form. If it wasn't for the color someone might mistake you for a sheepdog!"

Q snorted at that and tried to stand up. It took a moment before he found his feet, all four of them. Bond had been correct to tell him to rely on his instincts. As long as he didn't think too much about it he could move without tripping and the sensory input was not overwhelming. No worse than providing agent direction while hacking at the same time. After a bit of walking and sniffing around he looked back at Bond who had been watching his explorations with apparent amusement. Q wondered _what now_ so he sat and cocked his head. Hopefully that would convey his question.

Bond said simply "Food."

He got up from his seat on the floor and led the way to the kitchen. Once there he extracted a large bowl of cubed beef from the refrigerator. Bond sat down on the floor placing the bowl beside him. He snagged a piece for himself then said to Q, "Go ahead you need the protein."

Q didn't have to be told twice. The meat smelled wonderful. Before he realized it he had eaten most of the bowl. He looked at Bond guiltily.

"Go ahead and finish it if you want," he said smiling.

Reassured Q did so.

Bond ruffled his fur again. "If you are OK on your own for a bit I'm going to go shift," he said standing up and heading for the bedroom.

Q thought for a moment. Bond had said that the time a werewolf was most vulnerable was when he was changing forms. 007 was, in many ways, _his_ agent. Regardless of the fact that they were not only locked in but also had locked the rest of MI6 out Bond was going to be helpless for a few minutes and it was his duty to watch out for him while he changed regardless of whether Bond wanted him to or not. Decision made, Q followed Bond into the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> In all good conscience I couldn't leave you all with Q's life in the balance for too long.

Thanks to Ambrose42 over on AO3 for finding a typo. Thanks also to Kenoria for pointing out an awkward bit of phrasing. Both items are fixed now.

Typo spotting, brit picks, grammar quibbles, comments and reviews (especially comments and reviews) are appreciated.


	3. Werewolf Physiology 101

**Title:** Metamorphosis

**Parings:** James Bond & Q

**Warnings:** Canon typical violence

**Disclaimer: ** All characters, situations and concepts borrowed belong to their respective owners. If you recognize it its not mine. I claim no rights. I make no profit.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Werewolf Physiology 101<strong>

James woke up still in wolf form. That was highly unusual. He rarely slept when he was in wolf form and never before when he was inside a building. He momentarily wondered why but then realized that the reason was curled up next to him snoring slightly with his head on James' flank. Newly changed wolves needed lots of physical contact. Being in wolf form just made that easier. Thinking about it a little more he decided there was also something about Q that made him feel comfortable and safe. James supposed it was a carryover from all the missions they'd run together where it was Q's calm voice on the coms providing information, direction, aid and assistance all with the intent of completing the mission and bringing him home safe and sound.

James had been impressed by Q from their very first meeting in the National Gallery. Very few people had the mental agility and intestinal fortitude to deal with him when he was in as black a mood as he'd been in that day. His subsequent interactions with the Quartermaster had only increased his regard. The man was an absolute genius with computers, a competent engineer, inveterate tinkerer, loyal, and willing to bend or even break rules when necessary to get the job done.

He had never thought of Q as physically strong but the last three days had surprised him. Underneath those hideous jumpers and patterned trousers James now knew lay a wiry strength. He had at times been hard pressed to keep Q from injuring himself as the virus rearranged his entire body. What had impressed him most, however, was Q's mental reaction to the entire situation. He'd expected Q to be upset but other than a short period of surprise Q had seemed to skip the anger and depression stages that most people went through when infected and gone straight to acceptance and coping. The bit of conversation about eliminating Q if he became a threat has also been an eye opener. James knew that the Quartermaster was, along with M, one of the positions in MI6 where protocol was _kill if compromised_. He just hadn't expected that Q would apply that reasoning in this particular situation.

James wondered if that mental flexibility and acceptance had also helped Q's first shift go so smoothly. Normally the initial change was a haphazard affair with some parts of the form going from human to wolf faster than others. Q's shift had started that way but about half way through something had changed and the shift had evened out becoming something more akin to his own metamorphosis into wolf-form. Another bit of strangeness was Q's fur. Most werewolf fur was short and bristly like that of a wild wolf. Q, on the other hand, had ended up with something akin to a long haired retriever with 4 to 5 inch slightly curling chocolate brown fur all over his body.

That hadn't been the end of the surprises. Once changed new werewolves would most often need at least some help from an alpha or other dominant wolf to gain control and not become feral immediately. Avoiding being completely dominated by the instinctual wolf side when on four feet was a trick that often required months and some outside help to develop. It had taken James himself three months to feel completely in comfortable in his wolf form. When Q opened his eyes after the shift it had come as quite a shock to Bond that Q was almost completely integrated with his wolf.

It had also taken less time than James had expected before Q was up and moving. He had adapted to eating and appeared to have had no trouble with the additional sensory input. James made a mental note to ask about that when Q got back on two feet. In fact, given how well everything went James had felt it was safe enough to change himself a full two hours before he absolutely needed to shift. That particular decision had resulted in the last surprise of the evening. Once James had announced his intent Q had followed him into the bedroom and placed himself in the optimum position to attack anyone who came through the door. This was despite the fact that he knew that Q had registered both sets of deadbolts engaging. Q, it seemed, was still determined to be the Quartermaster and protect his agent regardless of the form he happened to be in at the time.

Q snorted and shifted in his sleep moving his head from James' flank to the bed. Q rooted around a bit until his nose was firmly under James' fore leg with his back pressed against James' belly. _Spooning werewolves_ James thought to himself as he imagined the picture they made laying on the bed. With Q's dark brown long slightly curling fur and his own dark black on black coat it would not doubt look seriously cute. Moneypenny would kill for such a picture. Thank heavens these rooms had absolutely no video surveillance. Thinking of Moneypenny made James sigh. It was a little after 06:00 so he really should get up, shift and let M know that he'd not had to kill the Quartermaster overnight.

Extracting himself from the bed proved to be a bit more difficult than he had expected. Every time he moved Q had snuggled up to him again. He finally ended up pulling the duvet over both of them. Once that was done he found that he could manage to escape the bed leaving Q in full possession with only the tip of his nose and his tail sticking out from under the blanket. Back in human form as the first order of business he called Eve with the news. She answered before the phone even registered a ring.

"Good morning James." Her tone was a question masquerading as a statement. That meant someone was in her office. "Go on in sir," she said to someone confirming his suspicions.

"Just reporting last night's success," he continued in a lower tone "No casualties."

"Wonderful." He could hear Eve typing on her computer and moments later the door bolts retracted. Eve continued, "You'll still need to report the results to Dr. Neilson though." Moneypenny was still being evasive. That meant whomever was in M's office was high ranking enough to have a bodyguard or two cooling their heels in the outer office.

James thought quickly about how to phrase this just in case someone was close enough to overhear. "She is welcome to come down and retrieve the report herself. Let her know, however, that as expected the sample is a bit fuzzy."

"I'll relay the message." Eve concluded then rang off.

Normally James wouldn't let a human in with the newly changed in wolf form for at least a few months. Something about a full human's smell tended to make the wolf persona uneasy at best. Probably a vestigial left over from when humans and wolves were competitors for prey. However, Q was going to need to interact with humans almost immediately. A trial run with Dr. Neilson would be just enough to determine exactly how much they would need to accommodate Q's new status. He punched the code into the phone that retracted the silver coated steel bars from the doors. They slid back into their housings with a thunk that was only audible to a werewolf's sensitive hearing. No doubt Dr. Neilson would be down as fast as she could reasonably get here without arousing suspicion.

It only took twenty minutes before there was a polite tap on the outer door to the secure suite. James let Dr. Neilson in. She looked and smelled relatively well rested with an overtone of excitement.

"How did it go?" was the first question out of her mouth.

"Very well," James replied. "I assume you'll want to see him in both forms?"

"Yes please if possible. I can wait on the four footed one if you think it wiser. I know newbies can be a bit volatile."

"Not necessary. I'll go see if I can roust him out. He seems to be having a bit of a lie in," James said with a grin.

"I'll leave you to it," she replied as James turned and headed for the bedroom. He was just at the door way when he heard her murmur half to herself "I wonder if he's as grumpy as a wolf as he is as a human when he hasn't had his normal morning caffeine input."

Q had moved a bit since James had left. Only the tip of his tail was sticking out from under the pile of bedding in the middle of the bed.

"Time to get up Q, you've got a visitor."

The response was a low whine that James had no problem interpreting as something like _go away and give me another half-hour at least_.

James put a bit dominance growl in his voice and tried again, "Come on. You don't want to keep Dr. Neilson waiting."

The amount of force he put into that should have had Q, depending on where exactly he fell in the dominance hierarchy, off the bed and trembling in a submissive posture or at his throat. What actually happened was not what James had expected. The lump on the bed which was Q simply lay there. He didn't even twitch or otherwise acknowledge the growl. Bond stared at the lump then, not knowing quite what else to do, he reached out and grabbed the tip of Q's tail and tweaked it. That got a reaction as Q tucked his tail under the covers and let out a heavy sigh. That sigh was quickly followed by another then by squirming and Q emerged from under the covers. James had to stifle a laugh. Q's fur looked like the worst bed head he'd ever seen all over his body. Q seemed to be oblivious to the mussed fur. He just stretched then gave James a questioning look.

"Yes she wants to see you this way too."

Q made a slight motion that suggested a shrug then padded to the door and nudged it open. He trotted down the hall toward the kitchenette and Dr. Neilson freezing on the threshold. Something had startled Q and James moved quickly to see what the matter was.

Dr. Neilson was sitting on the floor, eyes down and neck bent. It was a wise position for a human dealing with a new wolf. Her posture and demeanor was picture perfect and James fleetingly wondered how and where she'd learned it. Her scent was concerned but not fearful. It was clear that she trusted both James and Q not to hurt her. So what the heck had caused Q to freeze like that? Finally Q started to move. He walked slowly and carefully up to the seated doctor. His body language was overtly friendly. It was almost as if he was afraid of scaring her. Oh. It suddenly clicked. Q was mistaking the scent of her concern for fear.

She let him get a good sniff at her before she looked directly at him. She glanced up at Bond then addressed them both, "May I touch?"

Q gave a huff just as James said "Yes."

That earned him a sideways look from Q and a nod from Dr. Neilson.

Dr. Neilson got up on her knees then started running her hands over Q's body. It was clear that she was watching him carefully to see when her exploration caused pain. When she finished she sat back on her heels and said, "About what I expected."

In another bit of werewolf etiquette she remained on the floor until James gave a short nod and asked, "Tea?"

A short while later they were seated in the sitting room, Bond and Q on the sofa and Dr. Neilson in one of the armchairs. If she found it disconcerting to be talking to a man and an oversized wolf she hid it admirably. In fact if James had to guess she'd been in a similar situation at least once or twice before. That in and of itself raised a whole new set of questions.

"OK, I don't know how much Bond has told you about the medical side of things," she started in briskly. "You are now immune to most bacteria and viruses and heal quicker than normal with a few exceptions. The biggest one is silver. Treat it like a severe allergy and you'll be alright. Second exception is your bones. They are denser and will set fast if broken but they won't get back to full strength until six weeks or so after breaking. The best thing to remember is if you break something get it set fast so you don't have to rebreak it to set it correctly. You'll be able to use it in a day or two but it will still give you twinges until it's fully healed." Avoid getting shot. While lead and copper won't kill you outright absent a very lucky shot they do hurt like heck as they fester out of your body.

She paused to assess how much Q was taking in. Judging from his body language James would bet that he could repeat the information back word for word.

Reassured that Q was paying attention Dr. Neilson continued, "All that extra healing capacity, denser body mass and extra fine senses also means that your metabolism is now completely different. You'll need to up your caloric intake by at least four times your current rate. At least half of that should be protein. You'll most likely have help with that." she suddenly smiled at Q, "Your minions hacked your medical file this morning. Not the real one," she reassured him, "just the one I had stored electronically. I put something in there about you needing more protein. Your real file is now Protocol Delta, top secret eyes only and stored in a safe in medical."

"Welcome to the club Q," James chimed in.

That earned him a dirty look from the doctor. "Not that you'll need medical attention as often as this oaf," she waived her hand in his direction. She paused again and looked as if she was ticking off items on a mental checklist. "I'm planning to officially release you from medical tomorrow afternoon with a recommendation that you have a bodyguard for anything outside the building for a few weeks. I suspect M will assign James for that particular job." She stood at that. "Come on up to medical once you are on two feet again so we can go over the electronic file and come up with some," she paused for a moment thinking, "_compensating behaviors_ to attribute to your injuries." She moved to exit but paused again at the door, "Feel free to come and bug me about any questions you might have on the medical side of things. I may not know the answer immediately but I do have some contacts that I can ask discretely."

"Contacts?" James was curious. This was the first he'd ever heard that there were people other than werewolves which knew something more than just the basics about werewolf medical issues.

"Yes James, contacts. Most of the larger packs have at least someone with paramedic training and some have full-fledged doctors. Despite that there are a few normal folks like me who have experience with wolf medical issues. Given the uniqueness of the practice area we tend to keep in touch." She hesitated a moment hand on the door, "There are three of us in greater London, one in Cardiff and another in Glasgow. Their names and contact information are in the same place as your medical files just in case." With that parting comment she left.

James was feeling a little stunned at this new information and she was gone before he could continue to question her. All in all, the whole interaction this morning had confirmed that Dr. Neilson had a very strange background indeed. Where the heck had she learned about werewolves in general and from who? It was clear to James that he needed to do some investigation. He looked over at Q then. He too was looking thoughtful. Well it looked like he'd have an ally in digging up the good Doctor's background, however, any discussion about that would need to wait until Q was back in human form.

That thought lead to another. Given how well the initial transformation had went and Q's obvious high level of adjustment it might be worth a try to see if Q could revert back to human on his own initiative.

"Do you want to try and change back?"

Q's ears went up and his tail thumped once on the sofa. James interpreted that as a _yes_.

"OK we can try then. First thing you need to know is not to panic if it doesn't work. New wolves revert back to human form naturally 24 to 36 hours after the initial change. You are not going to be stuck."

Q's body language indicated a bit of relief at that.

James continued, "One of the ways to initiate the shift back is to concentrate on physical sensations or actions that you can't do as a wolf. For me its guns. Shooting, breaking down, assembling, cleaning, things like that."

Q nodded. James was a little surprised at what he'd said. He'd never before told anyone what his triggers were for shifting. Triggers were intensely personal thing for most werewolves and rarely shared with anyone else. Telling Q, however, seemed to be the right thing to do.

"You can try here but I suggest that the bedroom might be better. You are going to be a bit sensitive in the skin department again for a few minutes after you change."

Q hopped off the sofa and went back into the bedroom, James following. He looked at the bed, thought for a minute then lay down on the floor. He closed his eyes and went still. James sat down in the chair. This might take a while.

It was some 20 minutes later, just as James was just about ready to have Q call a halt and try again in the afternoon, when it started. Q had been twitching every so often since he had closed his eyes but this was more of a total body shudder. Once again Q's transformation was smooth and steady, unlike that of most new wolves. It only took ten minutes and there was a naked, panting Q lying on the floor where the wolf had been. James stood, grabbed the duvet and gently covered Q. It wouldn't do for him to get cold before he had recovered from the change. James knew from experience that was a good way to have muscle aches for the rest of the day. It wasn't too long thereafter that Q sat up.

"Coding with a keyboard," was the first thing he said and James knew what Q's trigger was.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Gentle readers: Happy, Merry, Blessed whatever you happen to be celebrating this time of year (even if its only an extra day off) and may the new year bring all the best for you and yours.

K2N2


	4. Keeping Secrets

**Title:** Metamorphosis

**Parings:** James Bond & Q

**Warnings:** Canon typical violence

**Disclaimer: ** All characters, situations and concepts borrowed belong to their respective owners. If you recognize it its not mine. I claim no rights. I make no profit.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Keeping Secrets<strong>

_15:00 time to start shutting down_, Q thought. He needed to get a move on if he was going to make it to Moneypenny's house before moonrise. Q was looking forward to tonight. His first time out in the open rather than sitting out the full moon in the safe room. If all went well he'd be spending most full moons there rather than locked up in the HQ basement.

The last three months had been interesting to say the least. The first few weeks he'd _played injured_ and let the minions coddle him based upon the faked medical file. It was nice at first since food and tea seemed to appear out of nowhere at frequent intervals. Unfortunately he had to put a stop to it before some smart soul started tracking his calorie consumption and realized just what an astronomical amount of food he was consuming on a daily basis.

Since 007 had been officially assigned as his bodyguard while he healed, Q had used his presence as an excuse to upgrade the sturdiness of equipment and furniture in the entire branch. Of course some wag had immediately labeled the project _Bond proofing_ and it stuck. By the time all was said and done Q suspected that a small explosion in the middle of the Q branch bullpen would cause only minimal damage to both personnel and equipment.

The second full moon shift went off without a hitch physically. Bond was a bit concerned however that Q didn't seem to have an instinctual knowledge of proper wolf etiquette. Q wasn't worried. It didn't seem to him to be a problem. He had a general understanding of the rules it just felt like they didn't apply to him. Bond finally gave him a list of fall back behaviors to use in wolf form if he didn't have a clue what to do. Q floated the idea of talking to Dr. Neilson about it but that was quickly put on hold. Even though she was MI6 and completely vetted as far as intelligence matters Bond didn't quite trust her on the wolf side of things. After a bit of argument Q had agreed that they wouldn't ask her directly about it until they had at least some minimal facts about where she learned what she knew about werewolves. That, of course, meant that Q was going to have to hack into her personnel files at the minimum. He just added it as another item on his ever growing _to do_ list.

After his third full moon things had become even more complicated. It had started when he got back to his office from spending the night in the safe room to find R sitting in his visitor chair waiting for him. No sooner had he entered then Mattie had locked the room down into privacy mode, put her hands on her hips and asked him point blank if he'd ever planned to tell her about the lycanthropy. Once Q got over his surprise that she even knew about the existence of werewolves, apparently she had a cousin who was one, he'd had to explain the argument he'd lost with M over the matter and apologize profusely. It was only then that she had informed him that a majority of Q branch already had suspicions that Bond was some sort of shape shifting Fae and that at least a few were now suspecting him of being the same. After a bit of discussion they came up with a plan to cover his full moon absences. They also agreed to make his personal lab into another _safe room_ just in case he couldn't get away in time or needed to be available quickly after shifting back. Most importantly she was going to pass the word that no one was to _officially_ know about his and Bond's status and that under no circumstances was that _unofficial knowledge_ to be shared outside the branch upon pain of fatal lab accident.

It was only a day or two later that the 00's ended up finding out. In hindsight that was primarily Q's fault. As far as the rest of MI6 was concerned Bond, under the auspices of M's recent mandate that _all branch heads be retrained in self-defense,_ had taken up Q's retaining as a personal project. While retraining was still a part of the overall program what they were really doing was getting Q accustomed to his enhanced reflexes. They had been blacking out and locking down one of the smaller exercise rooms several times a week whenever Bond was in the country, which was more often than not since Q had been attacked. Bond as _the trainer_ had been the one to reserve and black out the room. Unfortunately, what Q had forgotten was that the security system had been set up such that the 00's could all override each other's lock downs. If he'd been the one to lock the room 006, Alec Trevelyan, would not have walked in on one of their training sessions.

That particular day Q had been armed with a Bo staff while Bond attacked barehanded. Alec, once he had assessed what he thought was the situation, had made a smart ass crack about seeing the Quartermaster with a quarterstaff. Of course Bond had taken credit for Q's prowess with same, not bothering to mention the fact that Q happened to also have a Karate black-belt and quite a bit of mock combat from his days at Uni when he was part of the Society for Creative Anachronism. The upshot of the banter was that Alec challenged Q to a sparring match to see how well Bond's training had _taken_.

Q had, much to the 00's surprise, been able to defend himself up to a certain point. Luckily when he had determined just exactly how good Q was Alec started being a bit sloppy. It was only a minute or so after that when he left himself open for a mere fraction of a second. Q took the opportunity and delivered an inhumanly swift kick to his stomach causing him to skid back, loose balance and fall. Alec had rolled and came to his feet watching Q who had reverted to a ready stance.

He didn't continue attacking but exclaimed "Damn Q you kick as fast as Bond!" It was as if the words had triggered something because after a pause the next thing out of his mouth was "Oh God, you too?" as he looked from Q to Bond and back again.

Alec apparently took it upon himself to cue in the other 00's because over the next two weeks each of them cornered Q at one point or another. It was rather gratifying, Q thought, to have the elite agents let him know in no uncertain terms that not only did they have no problems with his condition but that they'd also protect him and his secret with their very lives. He was theirs and they were his and that as far as they were concerned the fact that he went furry once a month had no bearing on the issue at all.

Q shook himself out of his memories and glanced at the clock. 15:30, he really needed to get moving.

An hour later he found himself in Moneypenney's row house kitchen eating a sandwich and waiting for Bond and moonrise. He had just finished when James came wandering in. Bond placed two small metallic objects with a rubberized edge coating down on the table next to Q. Q picked them up. They were dog tags similar to the ones soldiers wore. The rubberized edge was meant to keep them from clanking together and making noise. One side read _Quentin (Q)_ with an 11 digit number underneath it while the other side had a phone number. It was a little strange looking at what was clearly a cover identity in the form of a dog tag. He glanced at Bond curiously.

"Had to stop and pick these up," James commented. "Just an insurance policy in case we get cornered by animal control. Moneypenny here can bail us out."

"Do you have to do that often?" Q asked Moneypenny curiously.

Eve giggled, "Only once so far."

Q looked down at the tags again. They were set up with a hole so that they could be strung on a chain or a collar. Just as he started thinking about what type of chain to put them on James put a military style leather dog collar on the table next to his hand.

"You can use this for the time being. You can design something more to your liking for our next outing if you like. Why don't you go get changed while I get these attached."

Despite the conversational tone Q realized that the statement was backed with a force that rendered it effectively an order. While he didn't feel compelled to obey it wasn't worth the effort to argue so he went to the guest bedroom that Moneypenny had showed him earlier and shifted.

When he came back to full awareness after the shift it was to a cacophony of smells. He hadn't consciously registered how well the filtration system at MI6 dealt with odor until now. The room smelt slightly of orange with an overlay of the coconut and cinnamon that he associated with Moneypenny. He lay still and attempted to sort out the fainter scents. There was a bit of peat moss, aftershave and wolf under the generic MI6 soap smell. That was James. He'd been using the scent neutralizer and had taken the time to wash most of it off before showing up. He could smell the remains of his sandwich, some sort of stew and something else. Was that leftover Chinese take away? Having sorted out the scents for the moment Q got up and rejoined the others in the kitchen.

Upon his entry Moneypenny, who was sitting backwards on a chair, looked up and gasped, "Oh Q, you are gorgeous!" which caused Bond to laugh.

"Just because your wolf form looks like you'd been dumped in a pile of coal dust doesn't mean you can denigrate Q's!" she teased.

That caused James to laugh harder. "Better get used to it Q," he gasped out between chuckles. "It seems to be an instinctive female reaction to your fur!" He caught his breath then sobered, "Could be useful. People tend to be scared of my form but if Moneypenny and Erika's reactions hold true you should be able to pull off _overly large friendly dog_." He thought about it for a moment then said to Moneypenny, "Why don't you get him set up and explain the door while I go change" and walked out of the room.

"Right then," remarked Moneypenny in a back to business tone of voice. "May I put this on you?" she asked holding out the collar.

Q walked over and sat down in front of her. She fastened the collar around his neck and asked "Too tight?" He shook his head from side to side getting used to the feel of something around his neck and looked up at her. He couldn't tell.

Eve put her hand out and ran her fingers around the inside of the collar. "It feels OK to me," she commented, "but then I'm not the one wearing it. You don't want it too loose though. It might catch on something." She tugged a little on it to check the fit again then ran her fingers up the back of his head and scratched him behind the ears.

The caress felt good. Really good. Q leaned into her touch.

Moneypenny snatched her hand away as if burned and blurted "Sorry!" She looked embarrassed.

Q was confused. Why had she reacted that way? It had felt nice and he didn't object. In fact he wouldn't mind if she did it again. Then it dawned on him. Oh, yeah, feeling up a branch head might be considered inappropriate regardless of the form he happened to be in at the time. In addition scratching a werewolf on the head like a large dog might be a similar faux pas. To heck with the rules Q decided on impulse. He moved to deliberately rest his chin on Eve's leg gently wagging his tail at the same time. She took the hint and scratched behind his ears again. Q sighed with contentment.

"This is all kinds of wrong on way too many levels Q," she said but she didn't stop scratching. "Now what else do I need to tell you? There's a chip in your collar that will open the back door if you get it up near the alarm keypad. Just bark or make some noise when you come in so I know it's you. Otherwise you might be the recipient of a bullet. The chip can also be used as a GPS locater so Q branch will be able to track you if I ask them to activate it. The phone number will ring on both my mobile and M's. The 11 digit number is your dog license. It's in one of my cover identities so I'm your primary backup. If you end up getting overwhelmed or get injured don't worry. I have a safe room in the basement that I can lock you into if necessary. That's about it unless you want a snack before you venture out?"

Q put his ears up and looked up hopefully. Regardless of how much he ate just before, shifting seemed to make him hungry. Moneypenny was either a quick study or used to lupine behavior because she laughed, pushed his head off her leg and stood. Going to the fridge she pulled out a bowl of what looked like steak tartar formed into bite sized balls. It smelled amazing. She tossed him one and he snagged it out of the air. It tasted as good as it smelled. Moneypenny grabbed another one from the bowl and tossed it over his head. Q turned to jump and catch it only to realize that the toss had been to James who had neatly caught the small ball of meat and swallowed it whole.

"Do you want some more or should I put it into the fridge for when you get back?"

James made a head jerk toward the fridge. Q could have happily eaten the rest of the bowl but if he did the only thing he'd be doing tonight would be taking a nap so James was right, it was probably a good idea to leave it for later. Eve put the food away then walked over and opened the back door. "Keep him safe James," was all she said as Q stepped outside as a werewolf for the very first time.

Based on his experience in the house Q though he'd been ready for Moneypenny's back garden. He wasn't. The scent and noise level was almost overwhelming. Q staggered, struggling to make sense of all the smells and sounds that seemed to be bombarding him all at once. He managed to make it out into the yard proper and then collapsed whining under his breath. James lay down next to him moments later and he stuck his nose into Bond's black fur. The familiar scent acted as a blanket and a buffer from the cacophony of information.

There's got to be a way to deal with this, Q thought. It's like a different language or a new piece of code. He just needed to take it apart, break it down into its components and come up with a translation to relate it to what he already knew. It was nothing he hadn't done before. He took another deep breath and stuck his nose under Bond's neck. It was as if the scent of wolf had unlocked something. He already had a translation and a way to relate the input. It was just instinctual to his wolf part not conscious. So how to tap into that? He realized that he had the answer to that too. He did it all the time when hacking at the same time as running an operation. The hacking was so ingrained that he didn't need to think about what he did, he just did it while most of his concentration was on the mission itself. It took another couple breaths to get himself into the proper mindset and pulled his nose back out from under Bond. The sensory input was no longer overwhelming. He now had to convince James that he was alright.

Q stretched his head up and lightly nipped Bond's ear then scrambled back out of the way as Bond surged to his feet with a growl. Q immediately dropped down on his front legs with his backside up, tail wagging, in the classic canine invitation to play. James snorted and started to turn his back but suddenly shifted direction into a rush at Q. Q was still somewhat clumsy in wolf form and couldn't quite get out of the way fast enough. As a result they toppled over in a rolling tangle. Half an hour later Q found himself on his back with Bond's teeth gently on his neck. He went limp in submission. Play time was apparently over.

James made hopping the garden fence look easy. Q's own exodus was less graceful. He was just happy that he managed to land on his four feet as opposed to sprawling inelegantly on the pavement. It wasn't fair. No matter what form James Bond was in and regardless of what he was doing he managed to look elegant, perfectly groomed with not a hair out of place.

Their first stop was the local park. They mucked about there for a while letting Q experience smells and sound. Once he was comfortable James had led him on a rambling tour of the local streets. Thus, it was half past midnight when Q caught the scent. It was faint on the breeze but it smelled familiar. Q put his ears up and decided to see if he could track it.

It took a bit but Q eventually located a hard scent trail. It started at a corner. As if someone had got out of a car or more likely a cab. No, it was two someone's. One was the familiar scent Q had caught on the breeze while the other smelled like what Q had mentally labeled eau-de-medical-professional. That odor was a combination of plastic gloves, hand sanitizer, sterilized metal, and betadine. Dr. Neilson's scent added perfume to the mix. This particular person however had a faint overtone of cheap shampoo and oddly gunpowder. Q followed the scents down the pavement and around the corner only to be brought up short by Bond's low growl.

Q looked around and realized that he'd almost walked into the sight of a group of the MET's finest. There were several panda cars with lights flashing as well as a couple of unmarked vehicles parked in front of a house less than half a block down. There was crime scene tape across the front gate and a plain clothes officer controlling access. Q moved back into the shadows and sat down to watch for something interesting.

He didn't have long to wait. The house door opened and three men proceeded to the pavement. The first was obviously a member of the MET, probably a DI, judging by his clothes and the way the officer at the crime scene tape reacted. He was about 5'10" and his hair was mostly silver. He looked rumpled, tired and vaguely annoyed. He was attempting to get a word in edgewise with a tall thin impeccably dressed man in a long flaring coat. They were followed by a shorter, solid, unassuming looking gentleman who seemed to be amused by the taller man's exposition. The tall man paused then turned to examine the front of the house. He walked to the corner and peered into the gap between the houses talking intermittently to the other two men who trailed after him. Apparently finished, the tall man made his way to the front gate, stepped out and glanced both ways, presumably looking for a cab. The short man had a few words with the MET DI then hurried after his taller companion who had given up on a cab and was now striding down the pavement.

Q thought to himself, _This should prove interesting,_ and keeping to the shadows started to follow the two men.


End file.
